A large number of different container structures are utilized by manufacturers to ship a variety of different products to end users, which may be, for example, assembly plants. In the automobile industry for example, an assembly plant assembling a particular automobile might utilize a number of different parts from different manufacturers. These manufacturers ship their respective parts to the assembly plant in container structures where the parts are then removed from dunnage inside the container structure and assembled into a finished automobile.
In certain applications, the weight of the dunnage in the containers is of particular concern. The lighter the combined container and associated dunnage inside the container, the less costly it is to ship the container, either full of product or empty. Additionally, the lighter the combination container and associated dunnage, the easier it is for a worker to lift and/or move the container from one location to another, i.e. from the back of a truck to a desired location in an assembly plant.
Dunnage inside a container may assume numerous forms depending upon the desired application. One form of dunnage for use in containers is a pouch supported by support members extending from one side of the container to the other. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,725,119; 6,062,410 and 6,230,916 all disclose such pouches supported by wire cables. Such pouches allow vertical access to the interior of the pouches. Each pouch or cell may store one or more products for storage and/or shipment. The pouches prevent the products from contacting each other and/or harming each other during shipment.
Prior to the present invention, when pouches were used as dunnage in a wide container the support rods supporting the pouches had to have sufficient rigidity to span the width of the container and be strong enough to support the pouch and product(s) inside the pouch without collapsing. This necessitated that the support rods be made of a rigid, heavy material, such as steel, for example. If the support rods were not sufficiently rigid, the pouch would collapse when product was placed therein. Consequently, such rigid support rods added significant weight to the container, increasing the cost of shipment of the container, whether or not the pouches were filled with products. It also made moving containers filled with such dunnage cumbersome.
Accordingly, there is a need for a pouch assembly for use in a container having pouches supported by lightweight rods rigid enough to support the weight of the fabric pouch and the product therein.